Measuring the efficacy of leaders to assess information and make decisions in a crisis: The C-LEAD scale

Based on the literature and expert interviews, we developed a new measure, the C-LEAD scale, to capture the efficacy of leaders to assess information and make decisions in a public health and safety crisis. In Studies 1 and 2, we found that C-LEAD predicted decision making difficulty and confidence in crisis contexts better than measures of general leadership efficacy and procedural crisis preparedness. In Study 3, our measure of crisis leader efficacy predicted motivation to lead in a crisis, voluntary crisis leader role-taking, and decision making accuracy as a leader. Together, the studies promote the initial construct validity of the C-LEAD scale and a deeper understanding of the factors involved in effective crisis leadership.